In Need of Zydrate?
by AEROFiNiC
Summary: I welcome you to the dark days after the opera when Shilo and the Graverobber have lost their hope. GRxShi
1. Chapter 1

The leaves rustled under her feet as she searched for one last non-living victim. She was over her messenger-bag's weight limit of Zydrate, and the sun would make it's attempt to shine out in less than an hour. _This will be the end of tonight's harvest_. She thought, following the porch-light back to her house. Once inside, she would shut off every light and wait for the following night. She would have been sleeping, but sleep was a challenge in this prison-like manor. She sat on the couch, restraining from closing her eyes, even for only a moment. With sleep, came dreams, and with dreams came nightmares. For Shilo, it had felt like only hours since the night of the opera.  
The opera…nearly a week ago.

Shilo searched through the cabinets for something to eat. It was the first time that week that she dared to swallow. Anger and pain swept over her when she thought about her father. He'd betrayed her. He'd treated her like a pet, and that was enough for her. Shilo left her food untouched and sauntered back to the couch once more.

Shilo allowed herself to rest there, deep in thought. Without even knowing of it, Shilo had fallen asleep.

She woke up the next morning, a dim light shining through her window. The clock on the table beside her read 10 PM. It was too late for the sun to be shining, but too early for harvest. She pushed aside the curtains to find the Grave Robber. He was struggling with opening her window. She motioned him to go to the door.

"Doors aren't as classy as window enterings," he said, smirking.

"Well, I didn't want you to hurt yourself."

His glare was less than serious, but she gave up. He showed up at her house to ask a favor. He'd done this every day following the opera. This time, though, he needed a place to stay.

"Only for a few days," he pleaded, not giving her a chance to say no.

Shilo frowned. "I don't think that's the best idea."

Shilo was right. With her father dead, she had to pay all of the bills on the house, meaning she had to make money somehow. She took up grave robbing, but the job got her less than enough cash to pay for the house bills. With another person in the house, each bill would cost twice as much.

Graverobber thought for a moment before saying, "I'll pay half of your bill," and that was enough to convince Shilo that he should stay.

Before the Graverobber had arrived, the house was less than inviting and melancholy at sight. Now that she was not alone, Shilo felt safe and, surprisingly, happy again. They could have sat around the house for the remainder of the night, but it was time to get to work.

With the weather getting cooler, less people decided to wait in the alley for a hit. That meant that less graves would need to be robbed and less money the pair would get. They wandered the streets waiting for eager customers to show up. Shilo hated to do this, but it was the only way she could find work. It was also the only way she could work with a familiar face. It had taken her half the week to build up the courage to do the job, and she wouldn't give up now. As for the Graverobber, there couldn't have been an easier job.

The two made a perfect team, ready to leave within an hour.

_Beats doing this alone..._ The Graverobber thought, loading his Z gun.

Shilo and the Graverobber did a bit of harvesting before going back to Shilo's house. They were exhausted by the time they reached the front door. Shilo pointed to the living room and staggered up the stairs. For the first time that week, she entered her room. Shilo gazed around the room, seeing that everything was exactly how she'd left it. She pushed back the plastic and climbed into bed, without even changing into her night gown.

Downstairs, the Graverobber was fumbling through the books on Shilo's bookcase. He never slept much before and it was a hard habit to break. He seemed almost like a nocturnal being; a creature of the night. But Shilo would find that out the next morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Shilo woke late in the day. She could feel the light from the sun shining in on her. Shilo remembered falling asleep in her bedroom, but no light could shine in there. She opened her eyes.

"Dad?"

After allowing her eyes to focus, Shilo saw it clearly. She found herself lying on the living room couch, the Graverobber hovering over her.

"I don't suppose you sleep-walk every night?" he queried.

Shilo nodded, though she didn't know herself wether she had the past week. She slid off the couch and onto the floor, letting out a sigh. Looking up, she saw the Graverobber staring at her with great interest. He was unsure of why she hadn't just stood up. Finally taking her eyes from his gaze, Shilo marveled. Two little glass vials were rolling across the living room floor. The gleam in her eyes made Graverobber chuckle. Shilo turned her gaze back to him, her eyes showing confusion.

Graverobber elucidated his reason for laughing. "I realize you don't get out much, but no one is that interested in the glow."

Shilo pouted before getting up off the floor and wandered over to the kitchen. She digressed her reply and the Graverobber tuned out of the conversation.

"Graverobber? Are you okay?"

_Great._ The Graverobber thought. _I bet the kid thinks I've gone mental._

Quickly, he contemplated his reply, "Yep, I'm deaf."

Shilo raised an eyebrow at his words. "Blind, weak, and deaf. Wow, you've got the whole package."

Though she knew none of these were true, she loved to tease Graverobber. He took everything so seriously. His gaze was not angry this time, but it seemed to say And you're none of those things? Though it was temting, he didn't say it out loud. With anyone else, he would have, but there was something about the kid he showed sympathy towards.

Shilo and Graverobber had a bit of breakfast and began to straighten up the table. Graverobber wasn't used to this sort of routine; it was something he hadn't done since his childhood. Shilo led him up to her bathroom and allowed him to clean up a little. The water felt good against his burning skin. He'd feel clean again after his shower. The Graverobber got dressed again and sauntered out of the bathroom. Luckily, he was in no hurry because as he came out, Shilo had just finished changing clothes. He sighed in relief. If he would have seen her, he would have gone mad. He would have tried to stop himself. After all, she was only a kid.

"Shilo," he said, but it came out as more of a question.

"Yes?"

He never finished what he was about to say because a crash erupted from downstairs. The two raced down the stairs to see what had happened.

At the foot of the stairs, a man dressed similarly to the Graverobber stopped in his tracks.

"Roger," the Graverobber asked, "What are you doing here?"

"You know this man?" Shilo asked, forwarding her glance to the Graverobber.

"He's and old friend."


End file.
